Philadelphia's Best Sandwich Is Not a Cheesesteak

Philly's very name is synonymous with the cheesesteak, whose virtues are well-known and whose fans exhibit fervent loyalty; but the city's real sandwich of distinction is far less recognized.

"The Philadelphia roast pork is a much more complex and intriguing sandwich," says City Paper's food editor Caroline Russock. "Cheesesteaks are in-your-face obvious—meat and cheese and fat—but with the roast pork combo, there's a whole lot more going on, on a cerebral sandwich level."

John's Roast Pork, endorsed by former Philly chef Ben Lee, now the executive chef at New York City's A Voce Madison: "The pork is juicy and tender," he says. That said, you'll find spinach here, rather than broccoli rabe—whether that's a step down is a matter of personal preference.

Nick's Old Original Roast Beef is Russock's choice: "bonus points for the windowless back bar dining room where you can grab a $2 lager."

Paesano's, the six-seat lunch counter at the original Girard Avenue location serves the Arista sandwich in the spirit of the Philly classic, but with meat from a roast whole suckling pig. Expect fall-apart pork, bits of crisp skin, provolone, broccoli rabe and long hots for a sandwich so lusciously rich it requires a stack of napkins to eat.

High Street on Market's Eli Kulp (formerly of Torrisi Italian Specialties in New York) modernizes the classic with broccoli rabe that's been lacto-fermented with garlic and chiles, similar to kimchi. The semolina rolls are baked on-site, and the heritage pork shoulder is cooked with onions, peppers and garlic over an eight-hour stint in a CVap oven, then quickly seared. Fermented chowchow and marinated cherry peppers are served on the table as garnish. The cheese? Regular sharp provolone. Sometimes you just can't improve on a classic.